A former game show host who has expressed skepticism of the seriousness of coronavirus deleted his Twitter account Wednesday days after he announced that his son tested positive for the virus, according to a spokesperson.
Chuck Woolery, who was the first Wheel of Fortune host, tweeted Monday that his son had tested positive for the virus.
Woolery’s son is “fine and asymptomatic,” according to spokesperson Mark Young, CNN reported. Young said that Woolery deactivated his Twitter account because he wanted a break from social media.
“He is just taking a break from the abuse he has received from thousands of intolerant people who purposefully mislead people on his statement, including the media,” Young said, according to CNN.
Woolery made headlines Sunday after President Donald Trump retweeted his post saying that “everyone is lying” about coronavirus, CNN reported.
“The most outrageous lies are the ones about Covid 19. Everyone is lying,” Woolery tweeted, according to a screenshot of the post. “The CDC, Media, Democrats, our Doctors, not all but most, that we are told to trust.”
He continued: “I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back.”
An interview in which Trump defended retweeting Woolery’s comments aired on CBS Wednesday morning, according to Deadline. Trump said he wasn’t attacking his own health officials, but was simply presenting a view that is widely held by Americans. (RELATED: Poll: Republican Support For Trump’s Coronavirus Response Drops More Than 10 Points Since May)
President Donald Trump speaks with CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge. (CBS News/Screenshot/Twitter)
“I’m just putting somebody’s voice out there,” Trump told CBS reporter Catherine Herridge, according to Deadline. “There are many voices. There are many people that think we shouldn’t do this kind of testing, because all we do, it’s a trap.”
Woolery clarified that coronavirus is a serious threat in his Monday tweet in which he announced his son tested positive. He also said he sympathizes with those who have lost loved ones from the virus. (RELATED: Trump Says COVID Testing Makes It Look Like US Has More Cases Than Other Countries)
“To further clarify and add perspective, Covid-19 is real and it is here,” he said according to an archived copy of the tweet. “My son tested positive for the virus, and I feel for those suffering and especially for those who have lost loved ones.”
Chuck Woolery at a Game Show Networks event in 2003 in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/ImageDirect via Getty Images)
As coronavirus spread rapidly across the world in March, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency. The U.S. has experienced a recent surge in daily cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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